Either-Or: A Dorchester Victorian vs. a Luxe Log Cabin in the Mountains

It’s amazing what a few miles will do to the market. This month, we compare a three-level residence in Melville Park with a sprawling wooden lodge nestled in New Hampshire.


Luxe Life Productions (Dorchester); Craig Hermle (Waterville Valley interior); Jerimiah True (Waterville Valley exterior); John McCarthy (Waterville Valley windows)

51 Melville Avenue, DorchesterSale Price: $1,100,000101 W. Branch Road, Waterville Valley, NH
$1,100,000
13
2,997 square feet
6
3.5
Asking Price
Days on Market
Size
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
$1,299,500
28
5,565 square feet
5
4.5

When the snow starts falling around New England, the home you live in influences the way you hunker down. For the new owners of this 19th-century shingle-style residence in Dorchester, winter will mean plunging into the backyard hot tub, rolling out cookie dough on the kitchen’s soapstone counters, and curling up in front of five wood-burning fireplaces.

Up in New Hampshire, the buyers of this river-side chalet will likely take a more active approach to the snowy season, starting their days in the garage’s ski-tuning room before hitting the nearby slopes at Waterville Valley Resort. As the sun sets, they can relax in the living room, where windows stretching to the peak of the cathedral ceilings frame mountaintop vistas.

Though the new homeowners’ winter pastimes may be different, demand for both properties shows just how desperately everyone is looking for a place to hibernate as 2020 winds down: The Granite State home received three offers in the first week, while the city house sold for full asking price.